Passion Struck with John R. Miles

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with attachment expert, former licensed marriage and family therapist, and relationship coach Adam Lane Smith to explore why so many people struggle with relationships—not because they're broken, but because they're living out unconscious attachment patterns formed in childhood.

Drawing from more than two decades of research into attachment science, neurobiology, and human behavior, Adam explains how insecure attachment shapes everything from our romantic relationships and family dynamics to leadership, workplace culture, anxiety, burnout, and even our physical health. Together, John and Adam examine why relationship chaos is...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with licensed therapist, bestselling author, and mental health educator Kati Morton to explore why so many of us continue repeating behaviors we know no longer serve us—from perfectionism and overworking to people-pleasing, burnout, and self-abandonment.

Drawing from her new book, Why Do I Keep Doing This?, Kati explains how the habits that keep us stuck often began as protective adaptations developed in childhood. Together, John and Kati unpack how our early experiences shape the "blueprints" we carry into adulthood, influencing our relationships, careers, self-worth, and sense of...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles explores one of the defining challenges of modern life: why so many people feel disconnected despite living in the most interconnected era in human history.

Drawing on insights from Greg McKeown and Marcus Buckingham, the historical lessons of Acts 10, behavioral science, and themes from his forthcoming book The Mattering Effect, John reveals how millions of people are living in a state of what he calls The Great Disconnection—surrounded by digital networks, professional titles, and constant communication, yet increasingly cut off from belonging, significance, and genuine human connection.

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Marcus Buckingham, who is a global researcher, pioneer of the strengths movement, and bestselling author of First Break All the Rules, to explore one of the most provocative ideas in modern leadership: love as a fierce business force.

Marcus reveals why extreme positive experiences, which people spontaneously describe using the word “love,” are the only true drivers of lasting customer loyalty, employee engagement, resilience, and performance. Drawing on extensive research, he introduces the five sequential feelings (control, harmony, significance, warmth, and growth) that leaders must intentionally desi...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Greg McKeown — bestselling author of Essentialism and Effortless, host of the What’s Essential podcast, and doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge — to explore the hidden barrier holding back relationships, teams, and personal growth: confident misunderstanding.

Greg reveals why most of us dramatically overestimate how well we understand others and how well we are understood. This gap, fueled by emotional noise, creates disconnection in marriages, parenting, workplaces, and society at large. Together, John and Greg examine how reducing emotional noise can dramatically improve clarity, rebuild matter...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles explores one of the defining challenges of modern life: why so many people feel invisible in a world that has never been more connected. Drawing on the Civil War phenomenon of acoustic shadows, insights from Eric Ries and Dr. John La Puma, and themes from his forthcoming book The Mattering Effect, John reveals how millions of people are living in a state of quiet disconnection—surrounded by information, productivity tools, and digital networks, yet increasingly cut off from belonging, significance, and genuine human connection.

As artificial intelligence reshapes careers, in...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with physician, bestselling author, and lifestyle medicine pioneer Dr. John La Puma to explore what he calls the Indoor Epidemic—the growing disconnect between the environments humans evolved to live in and the environments where we now spend nearly 93% of our lives.

From artificial light and screen saturation to poor indoor air quality and the loss of daily contact with nature, Dr. La Puma explains how modern indoor living may be quietly contributing to fatigue, burnout, brain fog, poor sleep, chronic stress, and declining well-being. He argues th...

Why do good companies lose their humanity? In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with entrepreneur, author, and Lean Startup creator Eric Ries to explore a growing crisis hiding in plain sight: why so many people no longer trust the institutions that shape their lives. From global corporations and banks to everyday organizations, many entities begin with a clear mission to serve but gradually drift away from the core values that made them meaningful in the first place.

Drawing from his groundbreaking new book, Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles pulls back the curtain on the final phase of personal transformation, drawing on the timeless narrative of The Shawshank Redemption, behavioral coach Eric Zimmer, and Say It Now founder Walter Green to confront a challenging human truth: why your greatest struggles are never meant to be private secrets. We live in a hyper-optimized culture that treats growth like a localized fortress—focusing heavily on our own routines, boundaries, and self-preservation. This intense focus on individual performance often leaves us isolated, trapped on an endless corporate scoreboard while forgetting that true human fl...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Walter Green, author, mentor, and former corporate CEO, to confront a universal human truth: why you need to say it now rather than regret it later. We live in a fast-paced, performance-driven culture where we routinely postpone deep expressions of gratitude, leaving a profound emotional deficit in our closest relationships. This hesitation forces millions of people to walk through life feeling completely invisible, only for their loved ones to finally articulate their value during a funeral when it is too late for them to hear it.

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In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Eric Zimmer, behavioral coach, author, and host of the award-winning podcast The One You Feed, to discuss why so many people struggle to maintain consistent habits, the hidden psychological exhaustion of constant self-reinvention, and the science behind his upcoming book, How a Little Becomes a Lot. We live in a culture obsessed with radical life overhauls and hyper-optimization, yet this big-bang approach to personal growth often triggers burnout, friction, and an endless cycle of starting over.

Through his extensive work in behavioral psychology, Eric reveals a...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles reveals why achieving everything you ever wanted can still leave you feeling profoundly empty—and what real, radical transformation actually requires.

Most of us treat personal growth like a home renovation project: we try to stack better habits, tighter routines, and sharper skills on top of the same old foundation. But true change—the kind that rewires who you are at the core—doesn’t work through simple addition. It demands dissolution.

In part three of our solo series, Forged in Adversity, John explores the hidden architecture of profo...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Blake Mycoskie, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of TOMS, to discuss the hidden emotional cost of success, the mental health crisis affecting high-achievers, and the powerful message behind the We Are Enough movement. After building one of the world’s most iconic purpose-driven brands and donating over 100 million shoes, Blake had everything society tells us should create happiness—wealth, recognition, impact, and success. Yet beneath it all, he was privately battling depression, burnout, feelings of inadequacy, and suicidal ideation.

Through his healing journey, Blake discovered a truth that...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Paralympic medalist and bestselling author Amy Purdy to discuss resilience, adversity, gratitude, and reinvention. Amy shares the story of surviving meningococcal meningitis at age 19, losing both legs below the knee, rebuilding her life through adaptive snowboarding, and later facing another devastating health crisis that inspired her new book Bounce Forward. The conversation explores how to transform grief into hope, navigate uncertainty, build emotional resilience, and create meaning through hardship.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
How Amy Purdy transformed unimaginable adversity into purpose and possibilityWhy re...

What if the armor that once saved your life is now the very thing keeping you from living it?

In this second solo installment of the Forged in Adversity series, John R. Miles explores the Recovery phase of the human journey. He dives into the "Birth of Survival Identities," explaining how the nervous system prioritizes safety over authenticity, creating protectors such as the perfectionist, the achiever, and the intellectual.

Drawing on the cinematic archetypes of Iron Man and Will Hunting, John breaks down the distinction between Armor (protection) and Strength (capacity). He challenges the listener to...

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with clinical psychologist, TED speaker, and bestselling author Dr. Guy Winch to explore the hidden psychological effects of burnout, chronic work stress, emotional exhaustion, and the modern culture of overwork.

Drawing from his new book Mind Over Grind: How to Break Free When Work Hijacks Your Life, Dr. Winch explains why so many high performers feel emotionally numb, disconnected, and trapped in survival mode despite outward success. He reveals how work stress quietly spreads into every area of life—impacting relationships, identity, mental health, emotional pr...

What if healing isn’t about asking, “What’s wrong with me?”—but understanding what’s happening inside of me?

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with psychiatrist and trauma expert Dr. Paul Conti to explore how adversity reshapes our emotional lives, identity, and sense of self—and what it truly means to heal what hardship leaves behind. 

Drawing from his new book What’s Going Right, Dr. Conti challenges the traditional way we think about mental health. Instead of reducing people to diagnoses or dysfunction, he explains how unresolved emotional pain, shame, trau...

What if the struggle currently breaking you is actually the diagnostic tool required to reveal who you truly are?

In this kickoff to the Forged in Adversity series, John R. Miles challenges the conventional wisdom that struggle "builds" character. Instead, he presents a compelling case—backed by neurobiology and psychology—that adversity serves as a diagnostic tool, revealing and refining the character already within us.


John leverages the cinematic metaphors of the Island from Cast Away and the Pit from The Dark Knight Rises to explain the two distinct phases of human endurance: Acce...

What if protecting your brain is not about fighting time, but about learning how to partner with it?

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with Dr. Majid Fotuhi, world-renowned neurologist and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University, to explore the revolutionary science of neuroplasticity. Dr. Fotuhi, author of The Invincible Brain, challenges the conventional narrative that cognitive decline is irreversible, proving instead that the human brain is a highly adaptive muscle capable of physical growth at any age.


Through extensive clinical research, Dr. Fotuhi dismantles the fear surrounding Alzheimer’s an...

What if beating cancer isn’t just about survival, but about transforming your life in the face of it?

In this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with Kathy Giusti, two-time cancer survivor, healthcare innovator, and founder of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, to explore what it truly means to turn crisis into calling. After being diagnosed with multiple myeloma at just 37 and given only a few years to live, Kathy did more than fight for her life. She helped transform an entire field of medicine.

Drawing from her book From Fatal to Fearless, Kathy ch...

What if the life you’ve spent years building is actually a masterpiece you’re just a guest in?

In this installment of the Purpose by Design series, John R. Miles explores why so many people optimize their lives for everyone else’s convenience while leaving no room for their own aliveness. Drawing from the cinematic realization of The Truman Show and the real-world social exile of Truman Capote, John challenges us to stop performing and start reclaiming our authorship.

John dives into the spotlight moments that force us to look up, the hidden performance contracts we sig...

What if optimism isn’t about staying positive but about facing uncertainty with courage?

In this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with clinical psychologist and optimism expert Deepika Chopra to explore what she calls real optimism—a science-backed approach to resilience that has far less to do with positive thinking and far more to do with how we relate to possibility. Drawing from her new book The Power of Real Optimism, Deepika challenges one of the biggest myths in modern self-help: that optimism means ignoring hardship or forcing good vibes.

We explore why positivity can...

What if the happiness, belonging, and meaning you are looking for is hiding in the conversations you never start?

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with social psychologist Nicholas Epley to explore why we consistently underestimate how much social interaction improves our lives. Drawing from his work and new book, A Little More Social, Nick reveals a profound paradox: while humans are wired for connection, we often choose solitude due to mistaken assumptions about how others will respond.

They discuss the surprising benefits of talking to strangers, the psychology of reciprocity...

Does the silence of a new life feel like a threat to your safety?

You’ve finally walked through the threshold, but the "silence" starts to itch. Suddenly, you feel a physical, vibrating urge to go back to being the "Fixer"—the version of you that is useful, busy, and predictable. That urge has a name: Identity Gravity.

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles explores the "Architecture of the Interior" and the psychological forces that pull us back into old orbits. Drawing on the external market systems discussed with Nobel Laureate Alvin Roth, the...

What if the problem isn’t time management, but how you manage your energy?In this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with psychologist Diana Hill to explore why energy management often matters more than time management—and how psychological flexibility can help you focus your effort on what truly matters.Drawing from her new book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, Diana shares a transformative idea: Burnout often stems from directing your energy in ways misaligned with your values.We explore why high achievers often feel drained despite being productive, how “genius energy...

What if the choices you make every day aren’t entirely your own?In this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with Nobel Prize-winning economist Alvin Roth to explore how incentives, systems, and hidden structures shape human behavior—often in ways we don’t even realize.Drawing from his new book, Moral Economics: Why Good Incentives Are No Substitute for Good Citizens, Roth reveals a powerful truth: markets aren’t just about money—they are systems that decide who gets what, who gets access, and what society considers acceptable.We explore why banning certain behaviors often pushes them underground, how so-cal...

Does it ever feel like you’re waiting for your own life to start?You’re sitting in your car at the end of the day, staring at the front door, realizing you have to "gear up" just to walk inside. You’ve become a world-class manager of a life you’ve stopped inhabiting. You’re winning the efficiency game, but you’re losing the human one.In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles explores the psychology of resistance and the difficult move from utility to aliveness. He identifies why we choose the "known hell" of burnout over the "unknown...

What if the reason you feel unfulfilled is that you’ve been approaching it all wrong?In this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, the visionary minds behind Stanford's Life Design Lab and co-authors of How to Live a Meaningful Life. We tackle one of personal growth’s biggest myths: that meaning is something you find.Instead, Bill and Dave present a groundbreaking concept—meaning is something you design.We delve into why high-achievers often feel "fine but empty," why success doesn’t guarantee fulfillment, and how our transactional world traps us in outcomes...

Shadow work helps you uncover the hidden parts of yourself, but what happens after that?In this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with Keila Shaheen, the million-copy bestselling author of The Shadow Work Journal, to explore the step most people miss: integration.While shadow work helps us confront the “invisible bag” of childhood wounds and hidden traits we carry, it is only part of the equation. Keila explains why true healing requires shifting from reflection to action—what she calls light work. We explore her newest book, The Light Work Journal, and how it helps people move out of the...

Does your life look successful on the outside but feel empty on the inside?In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles introduces a simple way to measure what truly matters: the ROI of Aliveness. Most of us spend our lives trying to be as productive as possible. We focus on checking off to-do lists and meeting everyone else's expectations, but we often forget to check in on ourselves.John explains why focusing only on your "output" leaves you feeling disconnected and replaceable. He shares a practical way to look at the "math" of your life—balancing the time yo...

What if the question underneath everything in your life is this: Do I matter?In this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with Angela Maiers to explore one of the most fundamental human needs—the need to feel seen, valued, and needed.For decades, Angela has studied what makes people feel seen, valued, and needed—and what happens when they don’t. What she’s found is simple, but powerful: when people stop feeling like they matter, everything else begins to break down.We talk about how this starts earlier than most people think, why so many adults tie their wo...

What if one of the biggest barriers to connection, performance, and trust isn’t prejudice—but something more subtle, more pervasive, and harder to detect?In this powerful episode of the Passion Struck podcast, I sit down with renowned social psychologist Claude Steele to explore his groundbreaking new book, Churn.Claude introduces the concept of churn—the internal psychological state we experience in high-stakes situations when we worry about how we might be judged based on our identity. Whether in classrooms, workplaces, medical settings, or everyday interactions, churn silently shapes how we show up, how we perform, and how we relate...

You’re doing everything right—so why does it still feel wrong?In this powerful solo episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles launches the new April series Purpose by Design by exposing a hidden force shaping modern life: the Invisible Scoreboard. It’s the system of metrics you didn’t consciously choose—but that quietly defines how you measure success, spend your time, and evaluate your worth.From chasing productivity and responsiveness to optimizing for external validation, many high performers are unknowingly winning the wrong game—building lives that look successful on paper but feel misaligned in reality.Through a deeply per...

What if your exhaustion isn’t a personal failure, but the result of invisible systems shaping your life?In this episode of the Passion Struck podcast, I sit down with Wharton economist Corinne Low, author of Having It All, to unpack one of the most misunderstood challenges of modern life: why so many of us feel depleted even when we’re doing everything “right.”Corinne introduces a powerful idea called “the squeeze”—a period where demands on your time, energy, and identity all peak at once, while your resources lag behind. Careers demand more. Parenting expectations intensify. Household responsibilities don’t disappear—they...

What if the real crisis of our time isn’t stress, burnout, or even anxiety—but a loss of meaning?In this powerful episode of the Passion Struck podcast, I sit down with Arthur Brooks—for the third time—to explore his most urgent work yet: The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness.Arthur reveals a striking trend: since 2008, rates of depression and anxiety—especially among young, high-achieving individuals—have surged dramatically. But beneath the surface, he argues, this isn’t just a mental health crisis. It’s a meaning crisis.We’ve built a world optimized fo...

Your phone isn't just an app—it’s an architect of your self-worth.We’ve all been there: you sit down for "just five minutes" to check a notification, only to look up an hour later feeling anxious, drained, and empty. For years, we’ve blamed our own lack of willpower. But on March 25, 2026, a landmark legal verdict officially changed the story: It’s not you. It’s the machine.In this urgent episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles unpacks the "Big Tobacco moment" for the digital age. We dive into the unsealed blueprints from the recent Los Angeles and New Mexi...

Your beliefs don’t just reflect reality—they shape it.Today, we explore a powerful and often uncomfortable truth: the script you live by is often written by assumptions you never chose. Joining me is behavioral expert and bestselling author of Hooked and Indistractable, Nir Eyal, to discuss his groundbreaking new book, Beyond Belief.In this conversation, we challenge the idea that our limits are structural. Nir explains how beliefs influence everything from our physical pain tolerance and resilience to how long we persist when things get hard. We move from the surprising science of the placebo effect to the psyc...

If humans evolved for love, connection, and pair bonding, why does modern life feel so lonely?Today, we explore one of the most overlooked forces shaping human flourishing: intimacy. Joining me is evolutionary biologist and Executive Director of the Kinsey Institute, Dr. Justin Garcia, to discuss his groundbreaking book, The Intimate Animal: The Science of Sex, Fidelity, and Why We Live and Die for Love.In this conversation, we challenge the idea that love is purely cultural or emotional. Justin explains that romantic love is deeply biological — driven by neural systems that resemble addiction, shaped by millions of years of ev...

The biggest risk isn’t change, it’s staying exactly where you are.Most people treat life transitions as a gamble, clinging to the "Safe Bet" of a familiar routine even when that routine has begun to feel confining. We think we’re being responsible by sticking to the script, but in this episode, John R. Miles reveals the hidden "Soul Tax" that accrues when you perform a version of yourself that no longer exists.Drawing on the practical philosophy of Henry David Thoreau and a deep-dive conversation with Ken Lizotte (Episode 735), John deconstructs the "high-definition, high-functioning" quiet desperation of modern...

What do you do when your life looks successful on the outside… but everything underneath it collapses overnight?Today’s conversation explores identity, resilience, and intentional reinvention with Bianca D’Alessio, a powerhouse real estate broker, entrepreneur, TV personality, and author of Mastering Intentions.In her late twenties, just as her career was gaining momentum, Bianca’s father was convicted of financial fraud. Overnight, her family lost stability, reputation, and the identity they had built their lives around. She found herself navigating public scrutiny, private trauma, and the pressure to hold everything together, all while building one of the top real est...